Chapter 176 Overhearing Song Jingning's Background
Qi Yanzhou looked coldly at Aunt Su who was making trouble, and asked: "I gave this dish to Atang, I am the unfilial one, Aunt Su, just come to me."
Aunt Su didn't dare to blame Qi Yanzhou and looked at Old Man Qi aggrievedly.
"Master, I have no other intentions, I just think that we should not mess up the hierarchy of seniority."
Old Master Qi slapped Aunt Su on her still red and swollen face.
"In the Qi family, you are humble!"
After saying that, he looked at Ye Chutang with a loving expression.
"Tang'er, you don't look well. Eat more and ignore irrelevant people."
Just because Ye Chutang was able to save Zhou'er, was willing to accompany him in exile, and helped the Qi family maintain its dignity, she is worthy of being worshipped by the whole family!
Madam Qi was a very gentle person and this was the first time she got angry.
"Remember this, if it weren't for Tang'er, you wouldn't be able to keep your clothes and jewelry!
Tang'er is the lucky star of the Qi family. If anyone goes against her again, don't blame me for being rude! ”
Aunt Su covered her burning face and ran back to the east hall.
Mr. Qi said, "It's already dark, let's go take a shower and go to bed."
Ye Chutang couldn't finish the two dishes, so he said, "If anyone is hungry, let's eat together."
Qi Hean wanted to eat, but was pulled away by Aunt Xu.
Soon, only Mr. Qi and the old lady, Qi Yanzhou and Ye Chutang were left in the main hall.
"Dad, Mom, Azhou, this dish is good, let's eat some together."
Faced with Ye Chutang's cordial invitation, the three did not refuse.
After the meal, Ye Chutang said, "Those concubines have their own thoughts. The Qi family is now like a pile of loose sand. Don't we need to find a way to unite them?"
Qi Yanzhou knew that the imperial guards were eavesdropping, and said, "I don't want to bother with them. We only have three days, and clearing our grievances is more important than anything else."
What he actually thought was that it would be easier to distinguish between humans and ghosts in a state of disunity.
Ye Chutang followed Qi Yanzhou's words and asked, "Are there any clues now?"
"No, if it was really done by the 'Ghost Thief', it would be very difficult to find evidence. The Qi family will definitely bear the blame for treason."
Mr. Qi sighed and said, "Let's do our best and leave the rest to fate."
After saying that, he stood up and went back to the west hall.
The floor outside the side hall was covered with quilts, giving the illusion of a large bunk bed.
The inner room was arranged as a toilet for bathing and changing clothes.
Qi Hean was taking a bath and could clearly hear the sound of water.
The water for bathing was fetched by the servants who stayed with him.
Qi Yun sat on the chaise longue that had been moved out, head lowered, not knowing what he was thinking about.
Seeing Mr. Qi come in, he quickly stood up and gave way to the couch.
"Dad, it's cold at night and the ground is damp. Please sleep on the chaise longue."
After saying that, he asked tentatively, "Dad, is exile a done deal?"
Mr. Qi knew that his youngest son was selfish and calculating.
"Yun'er, you have been smart since childhood, and you should be very clear about the emperor's attitude towards the Qi family."
Qi Yun'an fiddled with the wick on the low table; the flickering flames made his face look gloomy.
"If we are exiled, it will be difficult for us to survive and reach Tianshan County, right?"
"Yun'er, don't think too much. The emperor is so gracious that we can certainly make it to Tianshan County alive."
"knew."
Old Master Qi took his youngest son's abnormality to heart.
After a while, Qi Yanzhou also entered the side hall.
He actually wanted to stay with Ye Chutang for a while longer, but the Imperial Guards were watching him and they couldn't talk about anything.
"Dad, you've been tired all day, you should rest early."
Old Master Qi glanced in the direction of his youngest son, signaling Qi Yanzhou to keep an eye on him.
Qi Yanzhou knew what kind of people were in the Qi family and nodded slightly.
At this time, Ye Chutang and Old Madam Qi returned to the east hall.
There are many female relatives, six in total.
The floor outside was almost covered with bedding.
The chaise longue where Ye Chutang had taken a nap was moved to the outer room and placed next to the window.
"Mom, you sleep on the chaise longue."
Madam Qi took Ye Chutang's hand and said, "Tang'er, mother likes to sleep on the floor. The chaise longue is for you."
"I'm not used to crowds. I'll sleep in the inner room after everyone has finished showering."
"No, the floor is too damp after taking a shower."
Ye Chutang smiled and said, "It's okay, I'll just go ask the Imperial Guards for a few more quilts."
Sleeping separately makes it more convenient to go out at night.
Old Madam Qi thought that ice could keep her cool and that she wouldn't feel hot even if she put on more quilts, so she stopped trying to persuade him.
After a busy day, everyone took a shower and lay down directly.
Ye Chutang slept for the whole afternoon and didn't feel sleepy at all.
She lay on the soft bedding, waiting for all the women in the family to fall asleep.
Before 11 p.m., all the women in the household were asleep.
Ye Chutang got up quietly and gave everyone a sleeping pill so that they wouldn't wake up for at least two hours.
She went back to the inner room and took out three pillows and a T-shirt with her portrait printed on it.
Place a T-shirt over one of the pillows and tuck the other two pillows under the covers.
She covered her open eyes with liquid foundation.
The roof was about two meters away from the ground, and the light was dim, so it was impossible to tell that the person lying in the quilt was not her.
After Ye Chutang finished the arrangements, he pried open the wooden floor and escaped from Prince Chen's Mansion underground.
First stop, Shangshu Mansion.
The red silk in the Shangshu Mansion had not been taken down yet. It looked festive, but in fact it was too quiet.
Because the Imperial Guards surrounded the Shangshu Mansion.
Although the emperor did not order a search of the Shangshu Mansion, it was only a matter of time before the Ye family would be destroyed.
Ye Chutang returned to Ningchuyuan and took away all the valuables.
And the dried meat that had been dried before.
There was nothing left to take from the Shangshu Mansion, so she went to the palace.
Some weapons were placed in the basement of Xishou Palace.
As she was about to leave, she heard Ye Anling's screams and the sound of the whip hitting her body.
"Bitch, you are useless, waste!"
Eunuch De's voice was sharp and thin, and sounded like beautiful notes to Ye Chutang's ears.
Ye Anling kept begging for mercy, but received no sympathy at all.
Ye Chutang walked around the palace and took away everything that was easy to take.
Then I went to the Song family.
It was almost midnight and the Song family was very quiet.
She didn't know which courtyard Song Jingning lived in, so she could only look for him slowly.
When she found the main courtyard, she heard the conversation between Song Mingyu and Cui Xiangyun.
"Master, the northwest is poor, even Tianshan County is not much better, are you really willing to let Jingning suffer?"
"Jingning has been studying abroad for five years and has suffered a lot. Letting him go to Tianshan County will be beneficial to his future path."
"That's true. He is not a child of the Song family. He doesn't have to abide by the rules of the Song family and can retire."
As soon as Cui Xiangyun finished speaking, Ye Chutang jumped into the bedroom through the window.
Although she didn't make much noise, it was quiet in the night and Song Mingyu noticed it immediately.
Just as he was about to call for the security guard, Ye Chutang spoke.
"Master Song, it's me, Ye Chutang."
Song Mingyu was so shocked that she sat up and pulled aside the bed curtain.
There was no light in the room. Some light came in from the lanterns in the corridor, but it was still dim and nothing could be seen clearly.
He fumbled to light the oil lamp and saw Ye Chutang standing beside the bed.
"Miss Ye...Miss Ye, why are you here?"
Cui Xiangyun immediately sat up and looked at Ye Chutang.
Meeting Song Jingning's expression, she felt mixed emotions and asked, "Did Miss Ye hear what I just said?"
Ye Chutang nodded calmly, "I heard it. Song Jingning is not a member of the Song family. Whose family is he from?"
Hearing this, Song Mingyu threw back the quilt, got out of bed, and put on his coat.
"Miss Ye, it's a long story, come and sit down."
The two sat down at the round table.
Cui Xiangyun also stood up and sat down at the table, pouring Ye Chutang a glass of cold water.
Song Mingyu gathered her coat and asked, "Miss Ye, aren't you under house arrest in Prince Chen's mansion? Why did you sneak into the Song family?"
Ye Chutang said bluntly: "Come to Song Jingning to see if he has a birthmark in the shape of a gold ingot on his back shoulder."
"Yes, Jingning had a very obvious birthmark when he was a child. It faded a lot when he grew up, but it was still visible."
After hearing this, Ye Chutang was certain that Song Jingning was the original owner's twin brother.
She stood up and bowed deeply to the Song couple.
"Thank you both for saving my brother."
Given Song Jingning's condition at the time, it was not easy to save him and raise him.
Cui Xiangyun immediately helped Ye Chutang up and said with tears in her eyes: "It was your brother who saved me."
"Why did Madam Song say that?"
Song Mingyu and his wife told Ye Chutang in detail what happened after they found Song Jingning.
“Miss Ye, I never thought Jing Ning was Tang Wan Ning’s son.”
At that time, no one knew that Tang Wanning gave birth to twins and her son died young.
He also didn't expect that the ugly "Ning" on the small quilt wrapped around Song Jingning was Tang Wanning's "Ning".
"My mother was in an accident and her hand was injured. She almost lost her child. She endured the pain and embroidered the word 'Ning' on the quilt with her own hands, which means happiness, longevity, health and peace."
"I see."
Song Mingyu asked curiously, "Why does Miss Ye think Jing Ning is your twin brother?"
Ye Chutang smiled and said, "Their eyebrows and eyes are too similar, so I had my suspicions. To confirm, I shamelessly followed my brother to Meishan to hunt. But after talking to him about his birthday and birthplace, I realized that I had made a mistake, so I dispelled my suspicions."
As she spoke, she paused, picked up the cold water in front of her and drank it all.
After finishing her tea, she continued, "The day I met the head of the Song family, you kept leading the conversation to my brother, and I became suspicious again, so I made this night visit to the Song family today."
Song Mingyu found it funny. "Miss Ye is smart. I always thought that I asked in a very subtle way and was not noticed."
"Master Song found out that I have a twin brother and knew my birthday, so he was sure that Song Jingning was my brother, right?"
"Yes, that day at Huating Academy, after you left, I learned your birthday from Jingning, and also learned that he was Ye Jingchuan's son."
Ye Chutang asked confidently: "My brother doesn't know his background yet, right?"
This made Song Mingyu feel a little ashamed and he nodded.
"Yes, to be honest, I don't want him to return to his ancestral home."
It wasn't because he raised Song Jingning and was reluctant to give up the world-famous first son.
But Ye Jingchuan is too inhuman and unworthy of being Jing Ning's father!
Thinking of this, he looked at Ye Chutang seriously.
"Miss Ye, I never thought of hiding this from Jing Ning. I originally wanted to wait until after your wedding to tell him about your life story and let him choose whether to stay or go. But things happened in Prince Chen's Mansion and the Shangshu Mansion."
"So, Patriarch Song asked my brother to go to Tianshan County to find me?"
Song Mingyu poured Ye Chutang a cup of tea.
"This is one of the reasons. The Song family wants to support Qi Yanzhou as the new king. This is the second reason. The Song family also wants to use Miss Ye to open a women's academy. This is the third reason."
Ye Chutang thought that the Song family saved the original owner's brother's life, so he agreed to the "third one".
"I agree with the idea of building a girls' academy. The head of the Song family asked my brother to go to the Shangshu Mansion to congratulate me and send me off. That's very thoughtful of him."
"As it should be. Now that Miss Ye knows Jing Ning's background, what do you think?"
As soon as Song Mingyu finished asking, Cui Xiangyun said anxiously: "Miss Ye, Minister Ye colluded with the prince and secretly kept weapons. He will definitely be convicted. If Jingning is allowed to return to his ancestral home at this time, he will be implicated for no reason."
If Song Jingning grew up in the Ye family, it would be reasonable for him to be implicated.
But he never ate a grain of rice from the Ye family, never drank a drop of water from the Ye family, and even "died" in the Ye family. It would be too pitiful if he was implicated because of blood ties.
Ye Chutang looked at Cui Xiangyun, whose face was filled with worry and anxiety, and felt touched.
"Mrs. Song, Song Jingning is a member of the Song family. He was, is, and will be."
After saying that, she stood up and bowed again.
"Master Song, Madam Song, please keep this secret and don't tell my brother about his background for now."
These words shocked Song Mingyu.
"Why? Even if Miss Ye doesn't want Jing Ning to return to the Ye family, she should recognize him. Didn't you test Jing Ning before because you wanted to find your brother?"
If she didn't want to recognize her relatives, she wouldn't come to the Song family tonight!
Ye Chutang stood up, a faint smile appearing on her beautiful little face.
"The time has not come yet. The more my brother knows, the more it will tie his hands and feet. When the sea is calm and the river is clear, and the world is at peace, I will recognize him."
Song Mingyu nodded in agreement, "That's good. Even if you don't recognize each other, you can still get along well in Tianshan County."
After that, he got down to business.
"Miss Ye, on the day of exile, Jing Ning will bring Jun'er to Shili Pavilion to see you off. If you need anything, I'll ask them to bring it over."
"No need, Azhou and I are fully prepared."
Song Mingyu understood the double meaning of Ye Chutang's words, and the worries in his heart dissipated.
“Just be well prepared.”
"Master Song, Madam Song, sorry to bother you. See you again if we are lucky enough."
Cui Xiangyun hurriedly said: "Miss Ye, have a safe journey and take care!"
Ye Chutang came suddenly and left quickly.
When the window opens and closes.
Cui Xiangyun grabbed Song Mingyu's arm and asked, "Master, do you want to tell Jingning the truth?"
She was very conflicted.
He didn't want Song Jingning to have anything to do with the Ye family, but he also felt that such a big matter as his background should be decided by him himself.
Song Mingyu gently pushed aside the hair that was covering her eyebrows and raised a faint smile.
"Listen to Miss Ye. With Jing Ning's intelligence, we won't be able to hide it for long anyway."
When Jing Ning asked in broad daylight why he was asked to take Jun'er to see Ye Chutang off, he knew that the boy had become suspicious.
As long as he has a suspicion, he will find out the truth.
Cui Xiangyun nodded, "Okay."
After Ye Chutang left the Song family, he went to the Prince's Mansion.
The Prince's Mansion was brightly lit.
In the study, the prince was fidgeting and pacing back and forth.
The letter taken away by the emperor was like a knife hanging over his head, making him unable to sleep or eat.
He was still very angry when he thought that Ye Jingchuan had actually stockpiled food and weapons for the second prince.
If the Shangshu Mansion had not been surrounded by the Imperial Guards, Ye Jingchuan would have been torn into pieces!
He looked at the two aides who were dizzy because of him, with a gloomy expression.
"Aren't you usually very talkative? Why are you mute today?"
The staff had wanted to speak for a long time.
But the prince was furious, and they were afraid of bringing bad luck and getting into trouble, so they didn't say anything.
Now that I have the chance, I’ll start talking.
"Prince, don't worry. The Emperor only targeted the Shangshu Mansion. This is a good sign."
"Although the emperor holds evidence of your and the second prince's crimes, I am sure that he will not take action against you two."
"Now, you and the Second Prince are competing against each other. If something happens to both of you, the court will be in turmoil, which is not what the emperor wants to see."
"Prince, don't worry about those letters. What you need to do is to find a way to win the Holy Heart."
After hearing this, the prince was still annoyed.
"Even if the emperor wants to make a big deal out of a small matter, the court officials and the people will not agree!"
Withholding food and fodder and embezzling military pay are capital crimes!
Of course, he is the crown prince and it is impossible for him to be beheaded, but it is very likely that his position as crown prince will be lost!
The staff had no way to refute the prince, and hurriedly reminded him: "Prince, in order to prevent the emperor from sending people to the palace to investigate for evidence, quickly deal with the hidden danger."
There is no prince who does not collude with officials. In order to prevent officials from defecting to their side, the princes will keep some handles in their hands.
These handles are their weapons to control officials and are also the evidence of their factional activities!
The prince nodded in agreement, "It must be dealt with."
After saying that, he opened the door of the secret room.
As a result, the secret room was pitch black and the luminous pearls no longer lit up.
The prince's face changed drastically, and he shouted, "Bring me a lamp!"
The two aides heard something was wrong, and each of them took a lamp and quickly came to the entrance of the secret room.
The prince held two lamps in his hands, went down the steps and went to the secret room.
The chamber was empty, and the footsteps echoed.
Although he guessed the result, he still felt dizzy.
"Ghost Thief!"
After squeezing out these two words from between his teeth, he immediately went to check the secret compartment on the wall.
The secret compartment is also empty.
The officials hiding inside have no leverage!
The prince was a little out of breath, and the oil lamp in his hand fell to the ground, and darkness came over him.
If those handles fall into the hands of the emperor...
He didn't dare to think about it, as it gave him a splitting headache.
The voice of the staff suddenly came.
"Prince, please come out of the secret room! There's a fire in the study!"
The study was filled with books and papers, and after being ignited by Ye Chutang, the fire quickly grew larger.
The prince looked at the fire at the entrance of the secret room and didn't care about the evidence that had been stolen. He immediately ran out of the secret room.
Two aides escorted him out of the study.
Ye Chutang, disguised as a man, appeared in the study and put the unburned books and the bookshelves into the space.
The prince knew that the fire in the study was difficult to put out, so he said, "Don't let the fire spread."
Throwing down these words, he quickly went to his yard.
As he thought, all the valuables were gone.
The warehouse was also completely stolen.
He kicked the wall angrily.
"Damn 'ghost thief', there is so much gold and silver in Prince Chen's mansion, why doesn't he steal it?"
Ye Chutang, who had emptied the Prince's Mansion and was preparing to leave, heard this and kindly explained.
"I love to see incompetent mortals get frustrated!"
The male voice she used was gloomy and hollow, as if it came from the underworld.
The prince was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and shouted, "Come here, there's an assassin!"
Ye Chutang ignored the prince who was so frightened that his face showed an expression, and went underground to the Second Prince's mansion.
Compared to the Crown Prince who was restless, the Second Prince seemed very calm and had already fallen asleep.
But his yard was surrounded by three layers of fences.
He was probably preparing for a sudden attack from the emperor so that his subordinates could protect him as he left.
Colluding with important officials of the imperial court and secretly hoarding weapons and food is a capital crime!
Even if the emperor took into consideration the relationship between father and son, the best outcome for him would be life imprisonment.
The second prince's plan made things convenient for Ye Chutang.
In less than a quarter of an hour, she had completely ransacked the Second Prince's mansion.
Even the fenced yard was not spared.
The guards can prevent outsiders from coming in, but they cannot prevent her from escaping underground.
Before leaving, Ye Chutang removed the drug that had been administered to the Second Prince.
While he was still not fully awake, she whispered in his ear: "Don't blame me, it was the prince who wanted to kill you!"
After saying that, she took out the dagger she had stolen from the Prince's Mansion from the space and slashed it across the Second Prince's neck.
The second prince's instinct for survival allowed him to escape the fatal blow, but his neck was still scratched.
"Someone, there's an assassin!"
Before he could finish his words, the guards broke in.
Ye Chutang threw a dagger at the Second Prince, disappeared underground, and returned to Prince Chen's Mansion.
There are too many enemies, so just move slowly to the warehouse, don't rush.
After tossing and turning for nearly two hours, she soon fell asleep.
The next day.
Ye Chutang was woken up by the noise.
I vaguely heard something about the morning and evening visits and the new daughter-in-law serving tea.
She sat up, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and subconsciously wanted to call Dan'er, but then she remembered that she was in Prince Chen's Mansion.
Ye Chutang put on his bright red uniform, folded his bedding and put it in the corner.
She came out from the inner room and bowed to Old Madam Qi.
"Mom, my daughter-in-law got up late."
Madam Qi was not angry at all, she smiled and said, "It's okay to get up, it's too late if you're late."
After saying that, she asked Ye Chutang to go wash up.
The servant placed the fetched water at the corner where the main hall and the side hall met.
Everyone in the Qi family had washed up, leaving only her.
Ye Chutang didn't feel embarrassed, but he just couldn't get used to Liu Zhi brushing her teeth.
When she went to Tianshan County, she wanted to make toothbrushes!
After washing up, the servant brought breakfast over.
Mushroom and chicken congee with vegetarian buns.
The porridge was soft, glutinous and smooth. Ye Chutang thought it was delicious and ate two bowls.
After dinner, the Qi family had nothing to do and just stared at each other.
Ye Chutang was bored, so he asked the imperial guards to bring him pen, ink, paper and inkstone so that he could write poetry.
She used multiple calligraphy fonts and wrote five poems in total, ten pages each.
After writing, she drew a realistic sketch of Qi Yanzhou with charcoal.
When Qi Hean saw this, his eyes widened in shock.
"They are so similar, almost exactly the same. Can my second sister-in-law teach me?"
He was very interested in poetry and painting, but unfortunately he did not have much talent and was always just entertaining himself.
Before, when he heard everyone praising Ye Chutang, he sneered and thought it was exaggerated.
After what he saw today, he wanted to slap himself twice.
Ye Chutang was not familiar with Qi Hean, so he just threw two words at him.
"cannot."
After saying this, she handed the sketches and fifty poems she had written to the Imperial Guards, along with two pieces of silver.
"Please send it to the owner of the Poetry Pavilion and ask him to sell it for me. Each poem costs 500 taels of silver, and the Poetry Pavilion will take 20%. If anyone wants a portrait, it will be 1,000 taels of silver."
I'm free anyway, so I might as well make some extra money.
Once you leave the wealthy capital, it won’t be so easy to make money.
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